Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 2: Ghost Whispers

Major Makoto Kusanagi comes to the life on the screen again with excellent writing from Shirow Masamune and top notch animation from Production I.G. This latest installment of the Ghost in the Shell stories is another excellent chapter. The Major may look different from earlier episodes but it is the same voice actress who played the Major in the original film although not in the TV series or later films. The story takes takes place in the past which is why the Major and Aramaki look younger. During a nation wide hacking crisis threatening the lives of millions of Japanese people, the Major and her trusty tachikoma (armored mobile AI) battle against military cyborg units in real space over control of the Net. Cyber brains galore and everyone is infected with viruses. In the midst of the battles allies become enemies and enemies become allies as the Major begins the selection process for the team members of Section Nine (elite government anti hacking unit). I'd like to tell more of the plot but I wouldn't want to reveal the surprise ending that has a great twist and leaves you wanting more only to drool to the idea that the story is not over yet! (keep watching after the credits are done)

I loved it! Great music and lots of action and a brilliant thinking person's mystery whodunit, cyborg robot battles, and car chases oh my! This movie's got it in spades. The direction was well paced and the voice actors were very good. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves science fiction, art, animation, and also anyone who just loves a simple mystery story that challenges you to more than just a few simple emotions but also has more food for the brain than any animated films being produced in the United States in recent years!

If this isn't enough to convince you that this movie needs to be watched immediately and also many more times and placed on the shelf of excellence for human achievement then I can sweeten the deal by adding that there's also a hot blonde cyborg character who joins in the Major's fun to spice things up.